N.O. No. Two simple letters. One simple word.
But why is it sometimes so difficult to say no?
For many people, saying no is packed with guilt. Maybe you’re afraid of disappointing someone. Maybe you’re anxious to turn down your boss. Or maybe you’re a people pleaser.
No matter the reasons, learning how to say no is an important skill for your personal health and well-being. Our time and energy are precious resources that we should use wisely. And that means we can’t do everything.
Why is it so hard to say no?
For some adults, the inability to say no stems from childhood. From an early age, children are taught to be polite and forthcoming. If a parent or teacher asked a child to do something, saying no was interpreted as a form of backtalk. In some cases, refusing an adult meant punishment or negative reinforcement.
However, this can cause issues around communication and self-assertion. Being raised to believe that saying no is bad makes it difficult for children to communicate their preferences. For some people, this inability to speak up for themselves continues into adulthood.
Another reason you may find it difficult to say no is if you doubt yourself. With imposter syndrome, you feel like you are not good enough to do the role that you are in.
Because of these feelings, you avoid saying no to others. You are afraid they will think you are unable to perform your roles and responsibilities. It can also make it hard to say no to yourself. You constantly feel that you have to say yes to prove to yourself that you can actually do your job.
There is also empathy and human nature to consider. We are social creatures that rely on human connection. Because of our need to belong, we are afraid to disappoint others or create conflict.
In a study from the University of Waterloo, people were asked to carry out tasks that went against their ethics. Although they voiced their objections, half the subjects agreed to deface a library book. This was because saying no felt too difficult.
This kind of behavior shows our inherent desire to avoid conflict and keep the peace. But is it possible that our need to be liked can do us more harm than good?
Boundaries demonstrate what you are willing to accept in a relationship and how you expect to be treated. They are important for relationship dynamics and for mental well-being.
If you say yes when you really want to say no, you may end up resenting the person who made the request. While saying no can be difficult, it can protect the health of the relationship in the long run.
If you say yes to things that don't align with your goals or values, you may experience regret in the future. Being able to say no to people means that you'll have more time to devote your energy to the things that really matter to you.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with saying no when necessary. This includes when you simply don't have the energy to do everything you're asked or when you want to prioritize self-care.
People love to.be understood and respected. This is why the manner of approach when saying ‘no’ is important. The approach must be in a polite manner; more importantly, let the person making the request know you would have loved to help but it is not within your power to help at that particular moment, but in a different situation and time you might actually be of help.
Being able to say no to people helps reduce stress levels and gives you time for what’s really important.
Beginning right now, you can change how you respond to requests for your time. When the request comes in, take yourself off autopilot, where you might normally say yes.
Use the request to draw a healthy boundary around your time. Pay particular attention to when you place certain demands on yourself.
Try it now. Say no to a friend who continues to take advantage of your goodwill. Or draw the line with a workaholic colleague and tell them you will complete the project, but not by working all weekend. You’ll start realizing the benefits of saying no and find yourself much happier.
Thursday, 28 December 2023
Wednesday, 27 December 2023
How to Set Realistic and Measurable Deadlines
A deadline is an essential component of goal-setting, since it establishes the “when” a goal will be completed. There’s also the “Time-Bound” element of SMART Goals, another great goal-setting methodology for students to learn and use.
Why Are Deadlines Important?
If you want to achieve goals, writing them down is only the first step.
The next step is to identify specific tasks that will help you achieve this goal and set deadlines to meet those tasks. This is exactly why to-do lists are so effective—because they make large projects or goals more manageable by breaking out specific tasks and steps that need to be completed. Breaking up projects into a series of smaller tasks and learning how to add in deadlines makes these projects easier to complete and prevents you from waiting until the last minute to finish your work.
This type of planning can help students finish school projects, follow New Year’s resolutions, or achieve goals, whether short-term or long-term. Goal setting also helps to build intrinsic motivation.
When students learn to work with deadlines, they can become highly effective at not just setting goals, but also completing those goals. Deadlines are important because they are key to completion. As the famous saying goes, goals without deadlines are just dreams.
Even though getting the due date for an upcoming homework assignment may elicit a groan or two, it’s important to realize that due dates are important for school in the same way they are important for setting goals. Teachers and learning partners want students to reach specific learning goals, so due dates for assignments serve as deadlines to make sure students are consistently progressing towards these goals on schedule.
Is setting deadlines important only for me?
Deadlines help us organize the schedule and work for both short and long-term projects.
Once we know what’s the completion date of a project or a specific task, we can establish the right resources needed to complete a task on time.
A new due date indicates how long it can take for an individual to clear the deadline. However, it also helps achieve team goals – no matter if a small or larger project, they’re a set of multiple milestones that can only be achieved when each member does their best.
Besides, tracking deadlines is a solid base to discuss progress and the team’s performance.
Creating a project deadline list that’ll be transparent for the entire team (e.g. in a project management software with all tasks assigned to the people responsible) can work wonders for teams that struggle with delivering their work within due dates.
It can be easy to put a deadline in your planner and smother the date with a bright highlighter. But what happens after you close your planner? If your project’s deadline isn’t until early next month, you could receive quite an unpleasant surprise if you never look at the planner again. What if you flip your calendar to the next date range and only now realize that your assignment is due in a few days?
Set reminders for your deadlines to help prevent that feeling of panic. Make a calendar event or set an alarm on your phone to ring a few days or even a week before your assignment is due. Write a note on your whiteboard or ask a colleague to periodically check in with you about your progress. Taking each of these steps can give you a greater sense of urgency to complete your project and keep your tasks at the forefront of your mind.
With all your many responsibilities, you’re probably busy all the time. And you probably have tons of thoughts running through your head over the course of a day. If you struggle to keep up with your million and one tasks, let a piece of paper carry some of the weight. Studies show that you’re more likely to achieve your goals after writing them down.
This tendency stems from a brain process known as encoding. As your brain processes information, it determines what to include and exclude from its long-term memory. Writing your deadlines on paper increases the chance of your brain storing that information. This step can help you turn an intangible date into a reminder for action.
The importance of writing down deadlines cannot be overstated.
To begin with, it helps you maintain organization and focus. The likelihood of you completing a task increases when you have a deadline.
The second benefit of writing down deadlines is that it can assist you in prioritizing your tasks. It is easier to prioritize the most important tasks if you know when they are due.
Thirdly, writing deadlines down can reduce stress. A clear understanding of what needs to be done and when makes your work less overwhelming and stressful.
I suggest using a calendar or planner to record deadlines. Aside from keeping track of all your deadlines, these tools can also help you set up reminders so you don’t forget anything.
Setting realistic deadlines can help you stay on track and achieve your goals.
By setting specific deadlines for tasks, you'll be more likely to complete them on time and feel more accomplished. In addition to staying more organized and motivated in your work, deadlines also help you avoid procrastination.
Take the example of writing an article; it can be helpful to set a deadline for a given number of words. Another example, say you're organizing your closet, set a deadline for sorting your clothes into various categories. This helps with tracking the progress made and when the task is complete. By setting deadlines, you'll be more likely to achieve your goals and stay on track.
Why Are Deadlines Important?
If you want to achieve goals, writing them down is only the first step.
The next step is to identify specific tasks that will help you achieve this goal and set deadlines to meet those tasks. This is exactly why to-do lists are so effective—because they make large projects or goals more manageable by breaking out specific tasks and steps that need to be completed. Breaking up projects into a series of smaller tasks and learning how to add in deadlines makes these projects easier to complete and prevents you from waiting until the last minute to finish your work.
This type of planning can help students finish school projects, follow New Year’s resolutions, or achieve goals, whether short-term or long-term. Goal setting also helps to build intrinsic motivation.
When students learn to work with deadlines, they can become highly effective at not just setting goals, but also completing those goals. Deadlines are important because they are key to completion. As the famous saying goes, goals without deadlines are just dreams.
Even though getting the due date for an upcoming homework assignment may elicit a groan or two, it’s important to realize that due dates are important for school in the same way they are important for setting goals. Teachers and learning partners want students to reach specific learning goals, so due dates for assignments serve as deadlines to make sure students are consistently progressing towards these goals on schedule.
Is setting deadlines important only for me?
Deadlines help us organize the schedule and work for both short and long-term projects.
Once we know what’s the completion date of a project or a specific task, we can establish the right resources needed to complete a task on time.
A new due date indicates how long it can take for an individual to clear the deadline. However, it also helps achieve team goals – no matter if a small or larger project, they’re a set of multiple milestones that can only be achieved when each member does their best.
Besides, tracking deadlines is a solid base to discuss progress and the team’s performance.
Creating a project deadline list that’ll be transparent for the entire team (e.g. in a project management software with all tasks assigned to the people responsible) can work wonders for teams that struggle with delivering their work within due dates.
It can be easy to put a deadline in your planner and smother the date with a bright highlighter. But what happens after you close your planner? If your project’s deadline isn’t until early next month, you could receive quite an unpleasant surprise if you never look at the planner again. What if you flip your calendar to the next date range and only now realize that your assignment is due in a few days?
Set reminders for your deadlines to help prevent that feeling of panic. Make a calendar event or set an alarm on your phone to ring a few days or even a week before your assignment is due. Write a note on your whiteboard or ask a colleague to periodically check in with you about your progress. Taking each of these steps can give you a greater sense of urgency to complete your project and keep your tasks at the forefront of your mind.
With all your many responsibilities, you’re probably busy all the time. And you probably have tons of thoughts running through your head over the course of a day. If you struggle to keep up with your million and one tasks, let a piece of paper carry some of the weight. Studies show that you’re more likely to achieve your goals after writing them down.
This tendency stems from a brain process known as encoding. As your brain processes information, it determines what to include and exclude from its long-term memory. Writing your deadlines on paper increases the chance of your brain storing that information. This step can help you turn an intangible date into a reminder for action.
The importance of writing down deadlines cannot be overstated.
To begin with, it helps you maintain organization and focus. The likelihood of you completing a task increases when you have a deadline.
The second benefit of writing down deadlines is that it can assist you in prioritizing your tasks. It is easier to prioritize the most important tasks if you know when they are due.
Thirdly, writing deadlines down can reduce stress. A clear understanding of what needs to be done and when makes your work less overwhelming and stressful.
I suggest using a calendar or planner to record deadlines. Aside from keeping track of all your deadlines, these tools can also help you set up reminders so you don’t forget anything.
Setting realistic deadlines can help you stay on track and achieve your goals.
By setting specific deadlines for tasks, you'll be more likely to complete them on time and feel more accomplished. In addition to staying more organized and motivated in your work, deadlines also help you avoid procrastination.
Take the example of writing an article; it can be helpful to set a deadline for a given number of words. Another example, say you're organizing your closet, set a deadline for sorting your clothes into various categories. This helps with tracking the progress made and when the task is complete. By setting deadlines, you'll be more likely to achieve your goals and stay on track.
Saturday, 23 December 2023
Seek First to Understand Then to be Understood
Communication is the most important skill in life. You spend years learning how to read, write, and speak. But what about listening? What training have you had that enables you to listen so you really, deeply understand another human being? Probably none, right?
If you’re like most people, you probably seek first to be understood; you want to get your point across. In doing so, you may ignore the other person completely, pretend that you’re listening, selectively hear only certain parts of the conversation or attentively focus on only the words being said, but miss the meaning entirely. So why does this happen?
Because most people listen with the intent to reply, not to understand. You listen to yourself as you prepare in your mind what you are going to say, the questions you are going to ask, etc. You filter everything you hear through your life experiences, your frame of reference. You check what you hear against your autobiography and see how it measures up. Consequently, you decide prematurely what the other person means before they finish communicating. Do any of the following sound familiar?
You might be saying, “Hey, wait a minute. I’m just trying to relate to the person by drawing on my own experiences. Is that so bad?” In some situations, autobiographical responses may be appropriate, such as when another person specifically asks for help from your point of view or when there is already a very high level of trust in the relationship.
The essence of this habit is a temperament that favors curiosity, open-mindedness, empathy, and patience — all rolled into one. In order to really seek to understand, you cannot have already judged a person or situation. You need to develop a desire to understand — meaning a desire to see things from others’ point of view, to see their reasons, and feel what they feel.
The great thing about this habit is that it not only makes you a better friend, co-worker, and partner to those around you, it provides tremendous benefits to you as well. Here are but a few that I have found, as I try to employ the strategy of seeking first to understand.
Habits of highly effective people. It's critical: Seek first to understand, then to be understood.
Seeking real understanding affirms the other person and what they have to say. That's what they want. That's what we all want — to be understood, valued and affirmed.
What if you seek to understand but others don't? Two things come to mind. One person truly listening is generally better than none. More important, one person listening generally leads to two people listening. Let’s be honest, if I honor you with my ears, you’ll be more likely to reciprocate. Others learn the habit through our example.
Do you want to be a better leader, salesperson, parent, spouse or friend? Be a better listener. Let’s avoid the habit of collective monologue by really listening — with the intent of understanding, appreciating, and affirming.
The ability to hear is a gift. The willingness to listen is a choice.
If you’re like most people, you probably seek first to be understood; you want to get your point across. In doing so, you may ignore the other person completely, pretend that you’re listening, selectively hear only certain parts of the conversation or attentively focus on only the words being said, but miss the meaning entirely. So why does this happen?
Because most people listen with the intent to reply, not to understand. You listen to yourself as you prepare in your mind what you are going to say, the questions you are going to ask, etc. You filter everything you hear through your life experiences, your frame of reference. You check what you hear against your autobiography and see how it measures up. Consequently, you decide prematurely what the other person means before they finish communicating. Do any of the following sound familiar?
You might be saying, “Hey, wait a minute. I’m just trying to relate to the person by drawing on my own experiences. Is that so bad?” In some situations, autobiographical responses may be appropriate, such as when another person specifically asks for help from your point of view or when there is already a very high level of trust in the relationship.
Seek first to understand, then to be understood.
The essence of this habit is a temperament that favors curiosity, open-mindedness, empathy, and patience — all rolled into one. In order to really seek to understand, you cannot have already judged a person or situation. You need to develop a desire to understand — meaning a desire to see things from others’ point of view, to see their reasons, and feel what they feel.
The great thing about this habit is that it not only makes you a better friend, co-worker, and partner to those around you, it provides tremendous benefits to you as well. Here are but a few that I have found, as I try to employ the strategy of seeking first to understand.
Habits of highly effective people. It's critical: Seek first to understand, then to be understood.
Seeking real understanding affirms the other person and what they have to say. That's what they want. That's what we all want — to be understood, valued and affirmed.
What if you seek to understand but others don't? Two things come to mind. One person truly listening is generally better than none. More important, one person listening generally leads to two people listening. Let’s be honest, if I honor you with my ears, you’ll be more likely to reciprocate. Others learn the habit through our example.
Do you want to be a better leader, salesperson, parent, spouse or friend? Be a better listener. Let’s avoid the habit of collective monologue by really listening — with the intent of understanding, appreciating, and affirming.
The ability to hear is a gift. The willingness to listen is a choice.
Tuesday, 19 December 2023
Screw Finding Your Passion
How many times have you been told to find your passion? How often have you been asked what you are passionate about?
Unfortunately, a Deloitte study found that only some people of the workforce is passionate about their jobs.
We are often told to pursue our passions in our professional and personal lives. We've all heard the saying "Find a job you love, and you'll never work a day in your life." But that’s easier said than done.
Passion doesn't really work that way. Before you can pursue your passions, you need to discover what your passions are. You'll likely have to work many days, in many ways, to discover the work that taps into your passion.
According to Merriam Webster, “passion” refers to a strong feeling of enthusiasm or excitement either for something or about doing something. Passions are often something you would love to do constantly. Traveling is a good example of a passion.
Sometimes our passion is something we would love to do for work. Sometimes we only think that's what we want. Having passion for our work is more specific than being excited or enthusiastic about something.
The Deloitte research describes "worker passion" as something that motivates us to dig into the tough problems and sustains us through challenges and setbacks. This type of passion brings out our desire to figure something out, to learn faster, to make an impact.
It’s important to understand the distinction between passions and core values. Everyone has their own set of core values that guide them and shape how they feel about their work or work environment. Strong core values might include discipline, perseverance, playfulness, learning, excellence, and resilience.
The degree to which your work and life align with these values will likely contribute in a big way to success in your career and personal life.
But finding and following your passion will be the spark that ignites the flame.
Researchers and occupational experts now know that there’s a golden thread that runs through finding and living your passions and the measure of success you’re likely to experience — both on a professional and personal level.
The interesting thing about pursuing your passions is that doing something you care about on an emotional and intellectual level will result in you wanting to do more of it. This means there’s a direct link between discovering and developing your passions and achieving growth in your career and personal development.
It isn't always as clear as finding a way to get paid for doing the thing you love to do in your spare time, though. You often have to practice imagination to find the threads of passion that connect a hobby or interest to a career or profession.
Once you’ve decided that your passion is findable, it’s time to look for evidence of what you already love to do. If you scan the landscape of your life, you’ll notice certain experiences peak up above the horizon. It’s so valuable to delve into these “peak moments” and extract the key ingredients.
Consider yourself a beach-trawler, discerning between the gold and the cheap metal. For example, one of my favorite jobs involved teaching English to teenagers. I might assume the key ingredient was the English language, or young people. But when I paid attention to my metaphorical metal detector, it became clear that the bleep went off when I was being a leader within a community and teaching that community something of great value to them. That’s exactly what I do now in my work—but without the teenagers, present-perfect tense, or vocabulary tests!
So think of all the experiences you’ve had that you’ve loved most—without limiting yourself just to work experiences—and investigate what made them so fulfilling. If there was a job you loved, what were your tasks? What kind of work environment was it? What was the company working toward? Who did you get to interact with? What was most exciting and/or satisfying? Or maybe you still reminisce about the trip you took to Europe after college. Did you love it because you saw new things and learned about new cultures? Or because of the people you were with? Or maybe it was the problem-solving you had to do to make it from one country to the other on the small number of Euros you had budgeted?
Look for themes that come up a lot or that you feel strongly about. These are your key ingredients.
It might be that, through this exploration, you fall head over heels in love with an activity that engrosses you—something that lights you up and makes your heart sing. But now you have to ask yourself the next question: Who would benefit from (and pay for) this?
Well, if you want to contribute your passion to society and make an income from it, you need to get realistic about whether this could actually turn into a career—and what you would need to do to make that happen.
So do your research. This is another step where networking and informational interviews are your friend. Talk to people who are following the same passion and find out if they’re making a living off of it, how, and what other skills and work go into making your passion profitable. There are also plenty of free online resources that can point you toward a plausible career that builds on particular interests.
You should also think about whether you would enjoy doing these things for a living; for some people a passion is just fun, and turning it into work changes it from a “love to do” to a “have to do” they’re no longer excited about.
The bottom line is, passions ought to be fun, inspiring, and enlivening. Allow your mind and heart to open to the inspiration around you, and trust that the things you're passionate about will make themselves clear. In the meantime, cultivating self-awareness, mindfulness, and noticing the things that light you up will help you get that much closer to figuring it out.
Unfortunately, a Deloitte study found that only some people of the workforce is passionate about their jobs.
We are often told to pursue our passions in our professional and personal lives. We've all heard the saying "Find a job you love, and you'll never work a day in your life." But that’s easier said than done.
Passion doesn't really work that way. Before you can pursue your passions, you need to discover what your passions are. You'll likely have to work many days, in many ways, to discover the work that taps into your passion.
According to Merriam Webster, “passion” refers to a strong feeling of enthusiasm or excitement either for something or about doing something. Passions are often something you would love to do constantly. Traveling is a good example of a passion.
Sometimes our passion is something we would love to do for work. Sometimes we only think that's what we want. Having passion for our work is more specific than being excited or enthusiastic about something.
The Deloitte research describes "worker passion" as something that motivates us to dig into the tough problems and sustains us through challenges and setbacks. This type of passion brings out our desire to figure something out, to learn faster, to make an impact.
It’s important to understand the distinction between passions and core values. Everyone has their own set of core values that guide them and shape how they feel about their work or work environment. Strong core values might include discipline, perseverance, playfulness, learning, excellence, and resilience.
The degree to which your work and life align with these values will likely contribute in a big way to success in your career and personal life.
But finding and following your passion will be the spark that ignites the flame.
Researchers and occupational experts now know that there’s a golden thread that runs through finding and living your passions and the measure of success you’re likely to experience — both on a professional and personal level.
The interesting thing about pursuing your passions is that doing something you care about on an emotional and intellectual level will result in you wanting to do more of it. This means there’s a direct link between discovering and developing your passions and achieving growth in your career and personal development.
It isn't always as clear as finding a way to get paid for doing the thing you love to do in your spare time, though. You often have to practice imagination to find the threads of passion that connect a hobby or interest to a career or profession.
Once you’ve decided that your passion is findable, it’s time to look for evidence of what you already love to do. If you scan the landscape of your life, you’ll notice certain experiences peak up above the horizon. It’s so valuable to delve into these “peak moments” and extract the key ingredients.
Consider yourself a beach-trawler, discerning between the gold and the cheap metal. For example, one of my favorite jobs involved teaching English to teenagers. I might assume the key ingredient was the English language, or young people. But when I paid attention to my metaphorical metal detector, it became clear that the bleep went off when I was being a leader within a community and teaching that community something of great value to them. That’s exactly what I do now in my work—but without the teenagers, present-perfect tense, or vocabulary tests!
So think of all the experiences you’ve had that you’ve loved most—without limiting yourself just to work experiences—and investigate what made them so fulfilling. If there was a job you loved, what were your tasks? What kind of work environment was it? What was the company working toward? Who did you get to interact with? What was most exciting and/or satisfying? Or maybe you still reminisce about the trip you took to Europe after college. Did you love it because you saw new things and learned about new cultures? Or because of the people you were with? Or maybe it was the problem-solving you had to do to make it from one country to the other on the small number of Euros you had budgeted?
Look for themes that come up a lot or that you feel strongly about. These are your key ingredients.
It might be that, through this exploration, you fall head over heels in love with an activity that engrosses you—something that lights you up and makes your heart sing. But now you have to ask yourself the next question: Who would benefit from (and pay for) this?
Well, if you want to contribute your passion to society and make an income from it, you need to get realistic about whether this could actually turn into a career—and what you would need to do to make that happen.
So do your research. This is another step where networking and informational interviews are your friend. Talk to people who are following the same passion and find out if they’re making a living off of it, how, and what other skills and work go into making your passion profitable. There are also plenty of free online resources that can point you toward a plausible career that builds on particular interests.
You should also think about whether you would enjoy doing these things for a living; for some people a passion is just fun, and turning it into work changes it from a “love to do” to a “have to do” they’re no longer excited about.
The bottom line is, passions ought to be fun, inspiring, and enlivening. Allow your mind and heart to open to the inspiration around you, and trust that the things you're passionate about will make themselves clear. In the meantime, cultivating self-awareness, mindfulness, and noticing the things that light you up will help you get that much closer to figuring it out.
Friday, 15 December 2023
Step Out of Your Comfort Zone
In the warmth of our comfort zone, life feels safe and familiar. More often than we care to admit, finding the motivation to leave is hard. But the more we’re stuck in our comfort zone, the more opportunities we miss to fully immerse ourselves in the human experience.
Learning how to get out of your comfort zone takes willpower and a change in mindset. Each step you take to expand your comfort zone leads to personal growth, learning, and success.
The comfort zone is a psychological state in which a person feels at ease because they’re not being tested.
Inside the comfort zone, people don’t typically engage in new experiences or take on any challenges. They only participate in activities that are familiar, making them feel “in control” of their environment.
People stay in their comfort zone to avoid feelings of anxiety or stress, and pain. Anything outside the comfort zone creates uncertainty, and uncertainty makes us feel anxious. Naturally, human beings are wired to avoid these feelings. This makes them reluctant to leave their comfort zone.
After all, why should they?
As comfortable as it seems, this safe bubble keeps people from personal growth and doing the things they want but don’t have the courage to do.
For example, staying in an unfulfilling job for years leaves you feeling burnt out and disengaged. Yet, it’s become your comfort zone. You know you’re capable of more, but venturing out and challenging your boundaries scares you because it involves uncertainty.
Finding the motivation to leave your comfort zone isn’t easy.
While there’s nothing wrong with being in your comfort zone if this is where you’re happy, it’s important to be aware of how staying there could hold you back from achieving your goals.
For example, when we try new things we…
Learning more about who you are can help deepen the connection you have with yourself. This enables greater self-love and understanding, as well as possibility, growth, and progress.
Being prepared to step outside your comfort zone can also be the difference between being a leader or a follower.
Generally speaking, the more knowledge and experience we have, the more confident and able we feel. This can give us an increased ability to do things in life we would have never thought possible. This can be incredibly liberating and often comes with significant reward and satisfaction.
Sometimes, when we encounter an obstacle on the path to achieving a goal, it can feel easier to retreat back to our comfort zone, rather than tackle the problem head-on. But doing this can mean putting a goal on hold, and might make returning to that goal later feel even more challenging.
Once we put off one goal, it can also be tricky to create new ones, because succeeding at our goals is what provides the confidence to strive for more. In many cases, the more we achieve, the more we hope to achieve, and the more we believe we can achieve. Equally, the more we shy away from our goals, the less capable we feel, and the smaller our world becomes.
Comfort zones are so-called for a reason – they’re comfortable places to be because they involve less risk and provide greater feelings of security and control. On the surface, this might sound ideal, but if you’re looking to grow and reach particular goals, your comfort zone can be an unhelpful place to be.
When you take steps outside of your comfort zone (even small and cautious ones), you’re pushing beyond the limits of what you know, which leads to development.
If you’re ever in doubt about stepping outside of your comfort zone, it can be helpful to start by reflecting on some of your biggest achievements to date. Chances are, the path to get there wasn’t necessarily smooth and required some element of challenge.
Learning how to get out of your comfort zone takes willpower and a change in mindset. Each step you take to expand your comfort zone leads to personal growth, learning, and success.
The comfort zone is a psychological state in which a person feels at ease because they’re not being tested.
Inside the comfort zone, people don’t typically engage in new experiences or take on any challenges. They only participate in activities that are familiar, making them feel “in control” of their environment.
People stay in their comfort zone to avoid feelings of anxiety or stress, and pain. Anything outside the comfort zone creates uncertainty, and uncertainty makes us feel anxious. Naturally, human beings are wired to avoid these feelings. This makes them reluctant to leave their comfort zone.
After all, why should they?
As comfortable as it seems, this safe bubble keeps people from personal growth and doing the things they want but don’t have the courage to do.
For example, staying in an unfulfilling job for years leaves you feeling burnt out and disengaged. Yet, it’s become your comfort zone. You know you’re capable of more, but venturing out and challenging your boundaries scares you because it involves uncertainty.
Finding the motivation to leave your comfort zone isn’t easy.
While there’s nothing wrong with being in your comfort zone if this is where you’re happy, it’s important to be aware of how staying there could hold you back from achieving your goals.
For example, when we try new things we…
Discover more about who we truly areOpening yourself up to challenges and understanding how you react to and overcome them, allows you to discover who you truly are. You become more aware of your strengths, weaknesses, quirks, and everything else in between.
“The journey toward self-discovery is life’s greatest adventure.”
ARIANNA HUFFINGTON
Learning more about who you are can help deepen the connection you have with yourself. This enables greater self-love and understanding, as well as possibility, growth, and progress.
Being prepared to step outside your comfort zone can also be the difference between being a leader or a follower.
Learn more about life in general, and gain the confidence to tackle new thingsEverything that we know about life, we learn through experiences. So, when we continue to repeat the same experiences, our knowledge levels remain constant and our growth slows or stops.
“Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it.”
ALBERT EINSTEIN
Generally speaking, the more knowledge and experience we have, the more confident and able we feel. This can give us an increased ability to do things in life we would have never thought possible. This can be incredibly liberating and often comes with significant reward and satisfaction.
Move closer to our goals and create new onesTo reach a goal, we usually have to adapt what we’re currently doing – for example, working harder, or developing new skills. This can take courage and determination – two things we rarely find inside our comfort zone.
“Your life does not get better by chance. It gets better by change.”
JIM ROHN
Sometimes, when we encounter an obstacle on the path to achieving a goal, it can feel easier to retreat back to our comfort zone, rather than tackle the problem head-on. But doing this can mean putting a goal on hold, and might make returning to that goal later feel even more challenging.
Once we put off one goal, it can also be tricky to create new ones, because succeeding at our goals is what provides the confidence to strive for more. In many cases, the more we achieve, the more we hope to achieve, and the more we believe we can achieve. Equally, the more we shy away from our goals, the less capable we feel, and the smaller our world becomes.
Comfort zones are so-called for a reason – they’re comfortable places to be because they involve less risk and provide greater feelings of security and control. On the surface, this might sound ideal, but if you’re looking to grow and reach particular goals, your comfort zone can be an unhelpful place to be.
When you take steps outside of your comfort zone (even small and cautious ones), you’re pushing beyond the limits of what you know, which leads to development.
If you’re ever in doubt about stepping outside of your comfort zone, it can be helpful to start by reflecting on some of your biggest achievements to date. Chances are, the path to get there wasn’t necessarily smooth and required some element of challenge.
Consider how you felt in the moments shortly after these achievements happened. It’s those feelings of joy, pride, and fulfilment that are worth chasing if you want to get the most from life. It’s also those feelings that remind us why fear, and even failure, are all part of the journey…
Thursday, 14 December 2023
Creating a Dedicated Workspace
A dedicated workspace is a designated area in your home or office where you can focus on your work. It can be a bedroom, a study, or even a corner of your living room. Having a dedicated workspace can help you to be more productive, to avoid distractions, and to create a more professional environment.
Where you relax and where you work should be two separate areas to help you create a mental boundary between “work” and “play.” Some might think that their work area must be in its own room. While this might be ideal, it’s not always possible if you’re in a small living environment. If that’s the case, designate one area of a kitchen or bedroom that you can use for work, like a table or desk.
Your work zone should be comfortable to sit in for long periods. Consider investing in a comfortable chair to eliminate any aches and pains in your back or neck. A good pair of headphones can also help you tune out distractions to focus on work and school. Speaking of distractions, it’s also a good idea to store your phone in a drawer or on a shelf to avoid checking it while studying.
Lighting can make all the difference in your home workspace, as a well-lit space avoids putting unnecessary strain on your eyes. If possible, position your workspace close to a window so that you get plenty of natural light throughout the day, which can enhance your mood and boost energy. If you can’t get any natural light in your work zone, illuminate your workspace with a desk lamp or two. If you’re working with a small table and don’t have room for a desk lamp, consider a wall-mounted lamp.
Keep your workstation/desk clean and organized. It may get cluttered throughout your workday but decluttering at the end of the day ensures you start your next workday on a fresh slate.
One of the best home office workspace ideas is to place your desk in front of a window. If that is not possible, then a place with the closest proximity to the window is the next best option. But why should you do that? Well, the window is the ideal location from which natural light can reach your workstation, and you are aware of how much importance does natural light has in keeping you active throughout the day and boosting your productivity.
Is that all one gets by placing their desk closer to the window? No, there’s more. Having a home office setup closer to the window keeps you connected with the outside world and gives you a feeling that you are not working in an isolated environment.
Of course, your workspace needs some essential items to be effective. This is a general list of things you can find in most at-home offices, however, nothing is set in stone. Make sure your office is comfortable for you; after all, you’ll be the person working in it.
Keeping anything else in your workspace is usually a bad call. Unnecessary decoration and items only reduce your focus and often make your mind wander off.
Working from home is seen as desirable thanks to the control you have over your environment. Don’t forget about this, and create a space that’s comfortable for you to work in.
Your workspace should have good air conditioning and heating if needed. Working in undesirable conditions will reduce your productivity and make your time in your workspace miserable. According to research, people usually tend to work best at a temperature between 16°C and 24°C.
Ensuring that you use high-quality, comfortable equipment is also crucial. Investing in an office chair and an adjustable standing desk is one of the best things you can do when setting up your workspace.
When working from home it may be more difficult to separate home life and work-life since your computer is right there 24/7. However, having a dedicated workspace helps to turn work off. If you are using a separate room as an office a good practice is to ONLY use that room for work. Once you leave the room you are no longer at work. If you are using a common area, be sure to put work stuff away. Being able to visually remove your work environment will help you disconnect from work and be a cue to your brain (and family) that you are not working.
Having a dedicated work area will help you be a productive employee as well as maintain healthy relationships with your co-workers and family.
Where you relax and where you work should be two separate areas to help you create a mental boundary between “work” and “play.” Some might think that their work area must be in its own room. While this might be ideal, it’s not always possible if you’re in a small living environment. If that’s the case, designate one area of a kitchen or bedroom that you can use for work, like a table or desk.
Your work zone should be comfortable to sit in for long periods. Consider investing in a comfortable chair to eliminate any aches and pains in your back or neck. A good pair of headphones can also help you tune out distractions to focus on work and school. Speaking of distractions, it’s also a good idea to store your phone in a drawer or on a shelf to avoid checking it while studying.
Lighting can make all the difference in your home workspace, as a well-lit space avoids putting unnecessary strain on your eyes. If possible, position your workspace close to a window so that you get plenty of natural light throughout the day, which can enhance your mood and boost energy. If you can’t get any natural light in your work zone, illuminate your workspace with a desk lamp or two. If you’re working with a small table and don’t have room for a desk lamp, consider a wall-mounted lamp.
Keep your workstation/desk clean and organized. It may get cluttered throughout your workday but decluttering at the end of the day ensures you start your next workday on a fresh slate.
One of the best home office workspace ideas is to place your desk in front of a window. If that is not possible, then a place with the closest proximity to the window is the next best option. But why should you do that? Well, the window is the ideal location from which natural light can reach your workstation, and you are aware of how much importance does natural light has in keeping you active throughout the day and boosting your productivity.
Is that all one gets by placing their desk closer to the window? No, there’s more. Having a home office setup closer to the window keeps you connected with the outside world and gives you a feeling that you are not working in an isolated environment.
Of course, your workspace needs some essential items to be effective. This is a general list of things you can find in most at-home offices, however, nothing is set in stone. Make sure your office is comfortable for you; after all, you’ll be the person working in it.
- A comfortable chair, suitable for extended amounts of sitting.
- An adjustable table, preferably a standing desk.
- Table lamp.
- Shelves, drawers, or file cabinets to store materials in.
- A power strip.
- Window blinds or curtains, if a window is present in the room.
- Air conditioning and/or heating.
Keeping anything else in your workspace is usually a bad call. Unnecessary decoration and items only reduce your focus and often make your mind wander off.
Working from home is seen as desirable thanks to the control you have over your environment. Don’t forget about this, and create a space that’s comfortable for you to work in.
Your workspace should have good air conditioning and heating if needed. Working in undesirable conditions will reduce your productivity and make your time in your workspace miserable. According to research, people usually tend to work best at a temperature between 16°C and 24°C.
Ensuring that you use high-quality, comfortable equipment is also crucial. Investing in an office chair and an adjustable standing desk is one of the best things you can do when setting up your workspace.
When working from home it may be more difficult to separate home life and work-life since your computer is right there 24/7. However, having a dedicated workspace helps to turn work off. If you are using a separate room as an office a good practice is to ONLY use that room for work. Once you leave the room you are no longer at work. If you are using a common area, be sure to put work stuff away. Being able to visually remove your work environment will help you disconnect from work and be a cue to your brain (and family) that you are not working.
Having a dedicated work area will help you be a productive employee as well as maintain healthy relationships with your co-workers and family.
Wednesday, 13 December 2023
Spending Your Time Right
Are you frustrated by how you never clear anything from your To-Do list?
Do you retire to bed disappointed condemning yourself for another day lost? Week and even month wasted? Do you look back and regret how you have lived the past years with nothing to show for it?
Well, you have spent enough time beating yourself up. It’s time to correct the mistakes and live a more meaningful and fulfilling life. The good things is that you have enough time ahead of you to achieve your goals.
The problem you have been facing has to do with your time management. It is the most common problem affecting productivity and it has some serious negative results.
It may not be very easy to know when you are not spending your time right. However, when you consider some of the things you usually do, you will easily tell.
If you take some time to think of the habits you have formed, even unconsciously, you will see just how often you waste time. And the truth of the matter is that you usually know it when it happens. At least your sub-conscious mind knows it.
Your mind knows the dreams and aspirations you have and wants to help you achieve them. As such, when it sees you doing things which don’t direct you towards those goals, it sounds an alarm. It is then up to you to exercise your willpower and make the right decision.
How you choose to spend your time defines your priorities.
Your commitments can have a significant impact on your time. Take a look at each area of your life and write down all of your commitments.
Seeing it all written down can be quite an eye-opening experience, as well as overwhelming.
While there are some commitments we can’t escape, such as work and family, others we can.
You have the right to allocate your own time.
Begin to cut back on the time you spend helping others get their tasks done and start focusing on what you can do to help you reach your goals faster.
Learn how to say no and decline offers. Accept to work on projects that bring out the best in you and enhance your total well-being.
Don’t feel guilty. If you don’t like the way you spend your time, simply change it. Life is too short to work on anything you hate and everything that takes away your precious time.
If you eliminate the things that don’t bring you joy or value, you’ll have more time for the things that you love.
Taking time away from the normal day-to-day not only gives you the opportunity to have new experiences and bond with friends and family, but also it helps you reduce stress and gain perspective. Studies show that skipping vacations could put you at a significantly higher risk for developing heart disease or having a heart attack; a nine-year study of 12,000 men at high risk for coronary heart disease found that they were 32% more likely to die of a heart attack if they didn’t take an annual vacation (and were at a 21% higher risk of death from all causes). Relaxing is serious business. Be proactive in your vacation planning. Request time off at the beginning of the year instead of waiting to make a plan later. Otherwise, when “later” comes, you’ll again find yourself never leaving the office because you always feel like there is too much to get done. In 20 years, you’ll end up with a lot of “I always wanted to…” sentiments, instead of a treasure trove of “I’m so glad I did…” stories.
Getting enough sleep, eating healthy foods, and exercising regularly dramatically increases your happiness on a daily basis. And in 20 years you’ll feel a whole lot happier and be in a lot better shape. Avoiding trips to the hospital, medicine, surgery, and chronic pain helps you to savor life instead of simply trudging through it. Make the decision to builds habits now for exercise and a healthy lifestyle. A little time now can pay off huge dividends later in life.
If you want to be truly effective in figuring out where your time goes, write it all down. No matter how small or insignificant you think an activity is, write down what you’re doing. Carry a little notebook with you so that you can keep an accurate record.
Anytime you start a task, write down what you are doing, and the current time. When you switch to something else, note the time you stopped, and figure out how many minutes you spent. As you do this, you will start to notice patterns in how you use your time.
You will also see how much time you really spend on certain activities. It might be surprising to find out that the 10 minutes you spend playing Candy Crush five times a day adds up to almost an hour. Even more surprising might be when you said you’d just check Facebook “real quick” and discover that 45 minutes have gone by. Nothing quick about checking Facebook.
You can also use this method to evaluate how effective you are at business activities. Do you find yourself spending a lot of time on items that don’t provide a lot of value? Are there things you could outsource? Could you better use your time focusing on the essential items in your business?
Keeping track of your time use can be an eye-opening experience that allows you to honestly recognize what’s going on with your time and your effort. Whether you wish you had more time to spend with your kids, or whether you wish you could spend more time building your business, you might be shocked to find that you already have the time.
All you have to do is track how you use your time, recognize where there is waste, and then eliminate those activities, while focusing on what really matters.
Do you retire to bed disappointed condemning yourself for another day lost? Week and even month wasted? Do you look back and regret how you have lived the past years with nothing to show for it?
Well, you have spent enough time beating yourself up. It’s time to correct the mistakes and live a more meaningful and fulfilling life. The good things is that you have enough time ahead of you to achieve your goals.
The problem you have been facing has to do with your time management. It is the most common problem affecting productivity and it has some serious negative results.
It may not be very easy to know when you are not spending your time right. However, when you consider some of the things you usually do, you will easily tell.
If you take some time to think of the habits you have formed, even unconsciously, you will see just how often you waste time. And the truth of the matter is that you usually know it when it happens. At least your sub-conscious mind knows it.
Your mind knows the dreams and aspirations you have and wants to help you achieve them. As such, when it sees you doing things which don’t direct you towards those goals, it sounds an alarm. It is then up to you to exercise your willpower and make the right decision.
“You can have it all. Just not all at once.”― Oprah Winfrey
How you choose to spend your time defines your priorities.
Your commitments can have a significant impact on your time. Take a look at each area of your life and write down all of your commitments.
Seeing it all written down can be quite an eye-opening experience, as well as overwhelming.
While there are some commitments we can’t escape, such as work and family, others we can.
You have the right to allocate your own time.
Begin to cut back on the time you spend helping others get their tasks done and start focusing on what you can do to help you reach your goals faster.
Learn how to say no and decline offers. Accept to work on projects that bring out the best in you and enhance your total well-being.
Don’t feel guilty. If you don’t like the way you spend your time, simply change it. Life is too short to work on anything you hate and everything that takes away your precious time.
If you eliminate the things that don’t bring you joy or value, you’ll have more time for the things that you love.
Taking time away from the normal day-to-day not only gives you the opportunity to have new experiences and bond with friends and family, but also it helps you reduce stress and gain perspective. Studies show that skipping vacations could put you at a significantly higher risk for developing heart disease or having a heart attack; a nine-year study of 12,000 men at high risk for coronary heart disease found that they were 32% more likely to die of a heart attack if they didn’t take an annual vacation (and were at a 21% higher risk of death from all causes). Relaxing is serious business. Be proactive in your vacation planning. Request time off at the beginning of the year instead of waiting to make a plan later. Otherwise, when “later” comes, you’ll again find yourself never leaving the office because you always feel like there is too much to get done. In 20 years, you’ll end up with a lot of “I always wanted to…” sentiments, instead of a treasure trove of “I’m so glad I did…” stories.
Getting enough sleep, eating healthy foods, and exercising regularly dramatically increases your happiness on a daily basis. And in 20 years you’ll feel a whole lot happier and be in a lot better shape. Avoiding trips to the hospital, medicine, surgery, and chronic pain helps you to savor life instead of simply trudging through it. Make the decision to builds habits now for exercise and a healthy lifestyle. A little time now can pay off huge dividends later in life.
If you want to be truly effective in figuring out where your time goes, write it all down. No matter how small or insignificant you think an activity is, write down what you’re doing. Carry a little notebook with you so that you can keep an accurate record.
Anytime you start a task, write down what you are doing, and the current time. When you switch to something else, note the time you stopped, and figure out how many minutes you spent. As you do this, you will start to notice patterns in how you use your time.
You will also see how much time you really spend on certain activities. It might be surprising to find out that the 10 minutes you spend playing Candy Crush five times a day adds up to almost an hour. Even more surprising might be when you said you’d just check Facebook “real quick” and discover that 45 minutes have gone by. Nothing quick about checking Facebook.
You can also use this method to evaluate how effective you are at business activities. Do you find yourself spending a lot of time on items that don’t provide a lot of value? Are there things you could outsource? Could you better use your time focusing on the essential items in your business?
Keeping track of your time use can be an eye-opening experience that allows you to honestly recognize what’s going on with your time and your effort. Whether you wish you had more time to spend with your kids, or whether you wish you could spend more time building your business, you might be shocked to find that you already have the time.
All you have to do is track how you use your time, recognize where there is waste, and then eliminate those activities, while focusing on what really matters.
Saturday, 9 December 2023
How to Cope With Emotional Stress
We all experience stress, leading to various physical and psychological reactions. It can also affect our emotions. Emotional stress is a strong, negative response that leads to challenging emotions such as fear, anger, sadness, worry, or frustration.
Emotional stress can be challenging because our ways of dealing with this stress can sometimes backfire. Thinking about a solution or discussing solutions with a good friend—coping behaviors that are often useful and effective in solving problems—can quickly deteriorate into rumination and co-rumination, which are not so helpful.
Rumination can exacerbate your stress levels, so it helps to have healthy strategies for coping with emotional stress and redirecting yourself away from rumination and avoidance coping and more toward emotionally proactive approaches to stress management.
The end of the academic year is rife with a variety of stressors. Students are often studying furiously for finals, wrapping up coursework, setting up internships, trying to figure out their living situations for the next year, or even confronting life after college. Beyond the stress that is specific to college, students are also coping with national and global events while trying to maintain healthy relationships. During times of stress, with so many plates spinning, it is easy to get burned out or feel overwhelmed by emotions.
Although it is tempting to reach for quick fixes such as drugs and alcohol or to slide down a YouTube rabbit hole to block out feelings for a while, these attempts at coping, especially when we are crunched for time, often end up making us feel worse and add to our list of challenges. Whether it be a hangover, behavior we regret, or several hours lost to TikTok that could have been spent finishing that final paper, there is often a hidden cost to “quick fix” coping that leaves us feeling even more stressed.
If we are intentional, we can infuse small moments of enjoyment or pleasure into even the most demanding day. Have a homework assignment to finish? Why not grab a friend or find a nice spot outdoors. Have a load of laundry to do? Pop on an audiobook or album while you work. It is true that all work and no play makes for a very dull life indeed, and adding in small positive moments throughout your day can really add up. These experiences don’t have to be grandiose, it could be as simple as putting on a pair of cozy socks while you study or having a cup of your favorite tea. The key is to add in enjoyment and to experience it mindfully. Think about the sum of your experiences as an emotional battery. If you aren’t accumulating enough positive experiences, your emotional battery will get low or you could experience burn out. Seeking out positive experiences with purposeful awareness, although seemingly simple, will increase your resilience during challenging times by ensuring that you have enough charge in your emotional battery.
Are you dreading an upcoming difficult situation? Maybe you have a final that you’re worried about, or a job interview that has you waking up in the middle of the night. Rather than avoiding thoughts or feelings about these events, try preparing for them instead with imagined rehearsal. Imagine what it will feel like in the situation. How could you soothe yourself? What might you need to remember in that moment to do your best? Coping ahead is like having a practice round in our minds. It can help us feel better prepared and less anxious when the real-life situation occurs.
When we are new at something or learning novel skills, it can be easy to focus on our deficits. For this reason, it can be helpful to engage in activities that help us feel a sense of competence or mastery. For example, if you played basketball in high school, scheduling a pick-up game with your friends could help you tap into that skill set. If you’re crafty, taking breaks to knit or draw could help you feel a tangible sense of accomplishment. Experiences that are characterized by self-efficacy and self-control can help you feel more confident and competent in the face of other challenges.
It may seem like there’s nothing you can do about stress. The bills won’t stop coming, there will never be more hours in the day, and your work and family responsibilities will always be demanding. But you have a lot more control than you might think.
If you’re living with high levels of stress, you’re putting your entire well-being at risk. Stress wreaks havoc on your emotional equilibrium, as well as your overall physical and mental health. It narrows your ability to think clearly, function effectively, and enjoy life.
Effective stress management helps you break the hold stress has on your life, so you can be happier, healthier, and more productive. The ultimate goal is a balanced life, with time for work, relationships, relaxation, and fun—and the resilience to hold up under pressure and meet challenges head on. But stress management is not one-size-fits-all. That’s why it’s important to experiment and find out what works best for you.
Emotional stress can be challenging because our ways of dealing with this stress can sometimes backfire. Thinking about a solution or discussing solutions with a good friend—coping behaviors that are often useful and effective in solving problems—can quickly deteriorate into rumination and co-rumination, which are not so helpful.
Rumination can exacerbate your stress levels, so it helps to have healthy strategies for coping with emotional stress and redirecting yourself away from rumination and avoidance coping and more toward emotionally proactive approaches to stress management.
The end of the academic year is rife with a variety of stressors. Students are often studying furiously for finals, wrapping up coursework, setting up internships, trying to figure out their living situations for the next year, or even confronting life after college. Beyond the stress that is specific to college, students are also coping with national and global events while trying to maintain healthy relationships. During times of stress, with so many plates spinning, it is easy to get burned out or feel overwhelmed by emotions.
Although it is tempting to reach for quick fixes such as drugs and alcohol or to slide down a YouTube rabbit hole to block out feelings for a while, these attempts at coping, especially when we are crunched for time, often end up making us feel worse and add to our list of challenges. Whether it be a hangover, behavior we regret, or several hours lost to TikTok that could have been spent finishing that final paper, there is often a hidden cost to “quick fix” coping that leaves us feeling even more stressed.
If we are intentional, we can infuse small moments of enjoyment or pleasure into even the most demanding day. Have a homework assignment to finish? Why not grab a friend or find a nice spot outdoors. Have a load of laundry to do? Pop on an audiobook or album while you work. It is true that all work and no play makes for a very dull life indeed, and adding in small positive moments throughout your day can really add up. These experiences don’t have to be grandiose, it could be as simple as putting on a pair of cozy socks while you study or having a cup of your favorite tea. The key is to add in enjoyment and to experience it mindfully. Think about the sum of your experiences as an emotional battery. If you aren’t accumulating enough positive experiences, your emotional battery will get low or you could experience burn out. Seeking out positive experiences with purposeful awareness, although seemingly simple, will increase your resilience during challenging times by ensuring that you have enough charge in your emotional battery.
Are you dreading an upcoming difficult situation? Maybe you have a final that you’re worried about, or a job interview that has you waking up in the middle of the night. Rather than avoiding thoughts or feelings about these events, try preparing for them instead with imagined rehearsal. Imagine what it will feel like in the situation. How could you soothe yourself? What might you need to remember in that moment to do your best? Coping ahead is like having a practice round in our minds. It can help us feel better prepared and less anxious when the real-life situation occurs.
When we are new at something or learning novel skills, it can be easy to focus on our deficits. For this reason, it can be helpful to engage in activities that help us feel a sense of competence or mastery. For example, if you played basketball in high school, scheduling a pick-up game with your friends could help you tap into that skill set. If you’re crafty, taking breaks to knit or draw could help you feel a tangible sense of accomplishment. Experiences that are characterized by self-efficacy and self-control can help you feel more confident and competent in the face of other challenges.
It may seem like there’s nothing you can do about stress. The bills won’t stop coming, there will never be more hours in the day, and your work and family responsibilities will always be demanding. But you have a lot more control than you might think.
If you’re living with high levels of stress, you’re putting your entire well-being at risk. Stress wreaks havoc on your emotional equilibrium, as well as your overall physical and mental health. It narrows your ability to think clearly, function effectively, and enjoy life.
Effective stress management helps you break the hold stress has on your life, so you can be happier, healthier, and more productive. The ultimate goal is a balanced life, with time for work, relationships, relaxation, and fun—and the resilience to hold up under pressure and meet challenges head on. But stress management is not one-size-fits-all. That’s why it’s important to experiment and find out what works best for you.
Wednesday, 6 December 2023
Practical Strategies To Reach Your Financial Goals
Throughout your life, you'll have various financial needs and goals. These encompass purchasing a home, funding education, starting a family, saving for retirement, and pursuing personal interests. Realizing the importance of managing your money well prepares you for achieving these goals later. Developing the skills to make informed financial decisions today ensures that you'll optimize your resources to reach your aspirations.
Think of financial planning as a roadmap for your finances. It all starts with choosing a career, which impacts your income and trajectory. As you earn income, the focus shifts to safeguarding your money; budgeting oversees your income, expenses, and savings for controlled spending. As your career progresses, becoming familiar with investment options, risk tolerance, and long-term goals supports the growth of your wealth.
Why are financial goals important?
Financial goals are important for funding your lifestyle, both in and outside of the workplace. It's helpful to divide financial goals into short-, medium- and long-term objectives. In the short term, it's helpful to reduce debt, create a savings account and create a budget that accommodates your lifestyle. In the medium and long term, it's useful to focus on financial stability and retirement planning. These are some of the benefits of creating financial goals:
Achieving financial stability may benefit quality of life in several ways. With sound personal financial management, you may be able to pursue new opportunities, like newfound career prospects or personal projects. Long term goals like starting a family or going on that dream vacation become more matters of time and planning than far-off possibilities. Perhaps most important, however, is the sense of wellbeing and good financial health that financial stability can help promote.
A retirement plan is a strategy to accumulate wealth throughout your career. Once you stop working, it provides you with substantial savings to fund your lifestyle. Before you start saving, it's important to set a retirement goal.
You can do this by determining the amount of money you're willing to save for every paycheck you earn and calculate your total savings. Some employers may also match the amount of money you devote to your savings, increasing your saving potential. Signing up for a retirement plan can give you increased financial security and help you prepare for whatever comes after your career.
Paying for college tuition, campus housing and supplies may require assistance from student loan programs. If you continue your education after completing a bachelor's degree, it's possible that you may accumulate additional student loan debt. Consider setting a financial goal to repay your student loans within a certain time period. You can identify the amount of money you can afford to pay toward the loan while still covering your regular expenses. Resolving student loan debt can give you increased financial freedom and help you pursue things that you love.
Settling credit card debt can give you the freedom to focus on other expenses and build the life you want. Start by determining how much you can repay every month and make sure not add any extra debt. Once you set a goal, make sure to make your payments every month without fail. You can also establish a schedule for using the card in the future. For example, you may decide to add charges only during the holiday season or in emergency situations.
Another example of a financial goal is purchasing your own home. Consider saving money so that you can relocate to a city that matches your interests. For example, if you want to live in a downtown area, then you might save to own a condo or townhouse. If you want to live in a quiet neighborhood, then you might buy a house in a suburban area. Before you purchase a home, make sure to create a budget that accounts for mortgage payments, repairs and other routine expenses without compromising your daily financial requirements.
At some point in your career, you may decide to transition into entrepreneurship. Becoming a business owner can be an expensive process, especially because you're responsible for building and maintaining its operations. You can think about the amount of money that renting or buying a building may cost. You can also consider how much you can compensate the people who work for the business and the rates of the services you can provide to clients. Other relevant costs can include:
Financial stability is an important goal for many people. One of the possible ways to achieving it is having a solid financial plan for managing your checking and savings accounts. These accounts can be the foundation of a person's financial situation and can play a crucial role in helping to achieve financial stability. With a clear understanding of how to use these accounts to your benefit, taking control of your finances and working towards your financial goals may become a mere matter of time and planning.
Financial stability can mean different things to different people. For the most part, however, financial stability boils down to having adequate financial resources for your current and future needs. This includes an emergency fund and the means to fund personal financial goals and pursue new opportunities. Getting there may require a few key financial skills and good decision-making — all of which start with learning the difference between a checking and savings account and their individual strengths and weaknesses.
Think of financial planning as a roadmap for your finances. It all starts with choosing a career, which impacts your income and trajectory. As you earn income, the focus shifts to safeguarding your money; budgeting oversees your income, expenses, and savings for controlled spending. As your career progresses, becoming familiar with investment options, risk tolerance, and long-term goals supports the growth of your wealth.
Why are financial goals important?
Financial goals are important for funding your lifestyle, both in and outside of the workplace. It's helpful to divide financial goals into short-, medium- and long-term objectives. In the short term, it's helpful to reduce debt, create a savings account and create a budget that accommodates your lifestyle. In the medium and long term, it's useful to focus on financial stability and retirement planning. These are some of the benefits of creating financial goals:
- Increased financial freedom
- More comfortable retirement
- Less debt
- Increased security in emergency situations
- Better lifestyle for you and your family
Achieving financial stability may benefit quality of life in several ways. With sound personal financial management, you may be able to pursue new opportunities, like newfound career prospects or personal projects. Long term goals like starting a family or going on that dream vacation become more matters of time and planning than far-off possibilities. Perhaps most important, however, is the sense of wellbeing and good financial health that financial stability can help promote.
A retirement plan is a strategy to accumulate wealth throughout your career. Once you stop working, it provides you with substantial savings to fund your lifestyle. Before you start saving, it's important to set a retirement goal.
You can do this by determining the amount of money you're willing to save for every paycheck you earn and calculate your total savings. Some employers may also match the amount of money you devote to your savings, increasing your saving potential. Signing up for a retirement plan can give you increased financial security and help you prepare for whatever comes after your career.
Paying for college tuition, campus housing and supplies may require assistance from student loan programs. If you continue your education after completing a bachelor's degree, it's possible that you may accumulate additional student loan debt. Consider setting a financial goal to repay your student loans within a certain time period. You can identify the amount of money you can afford to pay toward the loan while still covering your regular expenses. Resolving student loan debt can give you increased financial freedom and help you pursue things that you love.
Settling credit card debt can give you the freedom to focus on other expenses and build the life you want. Start by determining how much you can repay every month and make sure not add any extra debt. Once you set a goal, make sure to make your payments every month without fail. You can also establish a schedule for using the card in the future. For example, you may decide to add charges only during the holiday season or in emergency situations.
Another example of a financial goal is purchasing your own home. Consider saving money so that you can relocate to a city that matches your interests. For example, if you want to live in a downtown area, then you might save to own a condo or townhouse. If you want to live in a quiet neighborhood, then you might buy a house in a suburban area. Before you purchase a home, make sure to create a budget that accounts for mortgage payments, repairs and other routine expenses without compromising your daily financial requirements.
At some point in your career, you may decide to transition into entrepreneurship. Becoming a business owner can be an expensive process, especially because you're responsible for building and maintaining its operations. You can think about the amount of money that renting or buying a building may cost. You can also consider how much you can compensate the people who work for the business and the rates of the services you can provide to clients. Other relevant costs can include:
- Technology in the workplace
- Office furniture and supplies
- Marketing and branding, including business cards, brochures and digital advertisements
Financial stability is an important goal for many people. One of the possible ways to achieving it is having a solid financial plan for managing your checking and savings accounts. These accounts can be the foundation of a person's financial situation and can play a crucial role in helping to achieve financial stability. With a clear understanding of how to use these accounts to your benefit, taking control of your finances and working towards your financial goals may become a mere matter of time and planning.
Financial stability can mean different things to different people. For the most part, however, financial stability boils down to having adequate financial resources for your current and future needs. This includes an emergency fund and the means to fund personal financial goals and pursue new opportunities. Getting there may require a few key financial skills and good decision-making — all of which start with learning the difference between a checking and savings account and their individual strengths and weaknesses.
Sunday, 3 December 2023
How to Build a Business that Makes a Positive Impact
While a business’s first concern is always going to be making money, either for itself or its shareholders, it’s very possible for businesses to have a positive impact on the world around them. Aside from providing jobs and economic benefits to the local community simply by existing, businesses that go that extra mile to ensure they have a positive impact can ingratiate themselves to customers and business partners, helping them to achieve business growth.
One of the ways a business can have an immediate positive impact is by helping out in their local community. Taking part in an existing initiative or starting one of their own means they can have an immediate and visible local business impact on an issue affecting the community. Even better if their product or service can play into it in some way.
Having a positive impact can start within the business. By providing employees with wellbeing benefits, such as discounted gym memberships, counselling sessions or other services, you can help ensure that your employees are well and ready to support the positive impacts you want to have elsewhere. Not only that, but it’s been proven these benefits improve morale and productivity within the workplace.
Larger businesses who have the clout to do so can also partner with a charity and support them holistically over time. While the immediate impact is not as obvious, there can be larger wins as a result of their support, especially if the chosen charity supports some kind of research.
We can provide a positive impact on the world by providing knowledge and resources to benefit people in the often complicated legal world. It isn’t a transaction without benefits. Becoming an authority in your field and providing your wisdom to the public at large can help a business solidify its position within its field and attract customers and clients. For every amount of effort you put into building up your business as a resource that people can rely on, you’ll increase the trust your audience has in your business and its services. That trust can help your business to grow. Providing knowledge is one of the best exchanges you can make to have a positive impact on the world. The knowledge you provide will always be of use to someone, and in return, you’ll be their go-to source when they need services beyond the scope of what knowledge alone can provide.
We hope to make a positive impact on the world through our travel business by creating experiences that inspire our customers to not only travel around the world, but to also understand and appreciate other cultures, religions, and ways of life. We want to facilitate travel that instills in our customers a deeper appreciation for the complexities of the global community, leading to a more harmonious and understanding world. We want to empower our customers to be ambassadors for cross-cultural understanding, connecting beyond borders and making the world a more connected and accepting place.
The human mind is one of the most powerful assets of any business. Think about it: this article you are reading right now was written by a human being somewhere that you don’t know. But you are reading it because it will possibly add value to your business. And the outcome of your business, positive or negative, will affect your mind.
When it comes to building a business with a positive social effect, first realise that you are surrounded by human beings with emotions and start creating a connection with them. We are not robots – we each have a mind of our own. The people around you can also think.
Be it your team, your customers, your family, or your friends; you need to start putting people first. This is why some business experts advise that you sell a product that you can buy personally. Every human being is a genius in different fields. Start putting yourself in your customer’s shoes, listen to the voices and minds around you, gather inspiration from people’s opinions and your business will turn around positively.
Creating a positive social impact is important, but there is little you can do if you don’t have enough money. The effort is not sufficient as inadequate funds can delay your goals. Aside from the donations and contributions from people, you need to figure out a way to make profits, even though making profits is not your primary goal. That’s where the concept of social enterprise comes in – a business that sets social impact as its central aim, rather than generating profit for profit’s sake.
You need to carefully plan your expenses such as money you spend on marketing, manufacturing, and buying your products, and other activities. This saves you from debt, and if you can easily repair and replace damaged materials, you can even reach out to more people effectively. This will go a long way in sustaining your business and helping you solve future problems for society.
As a purpose-driven entrepreneur, your primary goal is to build a successful business and make a positive difference in the world. In today's world, consumers are becoming more mindful of their impact on the environment and society, leading to the increased demand for purpose-driven businesses.
One of the ways a business can have an immediate positive impact is by helping out in their local community. Taking part in an existing initiative or starting one of their own means they can have an immediate and visible local business impact on an issue affecting the community. Even better if their product or service can play into it in some way.
Having a positive impact can start within the business. By providing employees with wellbeing benefits, such as discounted gym memberships, counselling sessions or other services, you can help ensure that your employees are well and ready to support the positive impacts you want to have elsewhere. Not only that, but it’s been proven these benefits improve morale and productivity within the workplace.
Larger businesses who have the clout to do so can also partner with a charity and support them holistically over time. While the immediate impact is not as obvious, there can be larger wins as a result of their support, especially if the chosen charity supports some kind of research.
We can provide a positive impact on the world by providing knowledge and resources to benefit people in the often complicated legal world. It isn’t a transaction without benefits. Becoming an authority in your field and providing your wisdom to the public at large can help a business solidify its position within its field and attract customers and clients. For every amount of effort you put into building up your business as a resource that people can rely on, you’ll increase the trust your audience has in your business and its services. That trust can help your business to grow. Providing knowledge is one of the best exchanges you can make to have a positive impact on the world. The knowledge you provide will always be of use to someone, and in return, you’ll be their go-to source when they need services beyond the scope of what knowledge alone can provide.
We hope to make a positive impact on the world through our travel business by creating experiences that inspire our customers to not only travel around the world, but to also understand and appreciate other cultures, religions, and ways of life. We want to facilitate travel that instills in our customers a deeper appreciation for the complexities of the global community, leading to a more harmonious and understanding world. We want to empower our customers to be ambassadors for cross-cultural understanding, connecting beyond borders and making the world a more connected and accepting place.
The human mind is one of the most powerful assets of any business. Think about it: this article you are reading right now was written by a human being somewhere that you don’t know. But you are reading it because it will possibly add value to your business. And the outcome of your business, positive or negative, will affect your mind.
When it comes to building a business with a positive social effect, first realise that you are surrounded by human beings with emotions and start creating a connection with them. We are not robots – we each have a mind of our own. The people around you can also think.
Be it your team, your customers, your family, or your friends; you need to start putting people first. This is why some business experts advise that you sell a product that you can buy personally. Every human being is a genius in different fields. Start putting yourself in your customer’s shoes, listen to the voices and minds around you, gather inspiration from people’s opinions and your business will turn around positively.
Creating a positive social impact is important, but there is little you can do if you don’t have enough money. The effort is not sufficient as inadequate funds can delay your goals. Aside from the donations and contributions from people, you need to figure out a way to make profits, even though making profits is not your primary goal. That’s where the concept of social enterprise comes in – a business that sets social impact as its central aim, rather than generating profit for profit’s sake.
You need to carefully plan your expenses such as money you spend on marketing, manufacturing, and buying your products, and other activities. This saves you from debt, and if you can easily repair and replace damaged materials, you can even reach out to more people effectively. This will go a long way in sustaining your business and helping you solve future problems for society.
As a purpose-driven entrepreneur, your primary goal is to build a successful business and make a positive difference in the world. In today's world, consumers are becoming more mindful of their impact on the environment and society, leading to the increased demand for purpose-driven businesses.
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